[OneVike]

So why doesn’t someone just use the 3D printer, to print more 3D printers so you won’t have to buy them from the people selling them?

[Mr. K]

whoa! you just blew my mind!

[Dead Corpse]

Working on it...

http://www.tantillus.org/Home.html

[null and void]

Such a system exists.

Right now there are several printers where you can print out most of the mechanical parts and roll your own.

There are still parts to buy, precision ground slides, nuts and bolts, electronics and such, but the bulk of the machine can be printed.

The limiting step is it is under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial ShareAlike license. That means you can make ‘em, but not sell ‘em.

[familyop]

"So why doesn’t someone just use the 3D printer, to print more 3D printers so you won’t have to buy them from the people selling them?"

It could be done with huge manufacturing runs of electronic components and real precision machine shops. If a company were equipped to run a few ten thousands of the first model, perhaps (re. chip runs),...